San Francisco Frontiers - Trauma and tragedy in the City of Angels: covering the LA fires

The United States's second-largest city has never faced a blaze of this scale, driven by an extreme autumn drought and fierce Santa Ana winds -- the strongest since 2011 -- that have turned dry hills into kindling, fuelling a relentless inferno that has raged for more than a week.

While the appalling destruction in Pacific Palisades and Malibu in the west -- long the home of the rich and famous -- has made most of the headlines, Altadena in the east has suffered even more.

Though a lot less glamorous, it used to be seen as an affordable paradise for families looking for their slice of the California dream.

Photographer Josh Edelson and video reporter Gilles Clarenne were taken aback by the lightning pace at which the fires spread through urban areas.

"Usually it's just the media and firefighters" at the scene of these kinds of blazes, said Edelson, a specialist with 15 years experience covering fires and natural disasters.

- 'Incredibly dangerous' -

But at Altadena everything "happened so quickly, there's no way firefighters could have evacuated that many people... residents were just walking around in front of their burning homes.

"That is wild because it's incredibly dangerous for people that don't really know how to handle themselves in front of a fire," the photographer added.

"You had elderly people walking down the street in front of burning homes, and people riding around on motorcycles in the middle of an embercast. That was crazy... There were many thousands of people just wandering around in the middle of an active wildfire. It wouldn't take much for any of them to get hurt."

"Normally when we are covering fires they are in the mountains around Los Angeles," said video reporter Clarenne. The blaze may take a few houses, but never "an entire neighbourhood" like Altadena, he said.

Which is why the toll has been so great: 24 dead so far, 90,000 people still evacuated, 12,000 structures and vehicles destroyed or damaged. President Joe Biden estimates the bill could run into tens of billions of dollars.

- 'Everyone wants a piece of the fire' -

Edelson has been a familiar figure at wildfires across California for more than a decade. The veteran photographer would never dream of going into affected zones without full protective gear, "the whole shebang", including a helmet with lamp, gloves and a shroud that covers his neck and face.

"I'm dressed exactly the same way the firefighters are. And that's imperative because if an ember lands in your hair, your hair's on fire. Every fire that I do I learn more."

Edelson also knows to keep out of firefighters' way. "I am always yielding to them and giving them respect. I don't go in front of them."

"I'm like a fly on the wall."

Which is why the photographer has been appalled by the behaviour of members of the public, including apparent influencers and live streamers, who seemed to be everywhere in the entertainment capital of the world.

"Everybody wants the piece of the fire, so they can get more clicks and shares and likes," he said.

Some have had no compunction about stopping their cars in the middle of the road and blocking firefighters to get shots with their smartphones, he said.

"It's frustrating to do a good job when these things kind of work against us," said the photographer, who has won awards for his work on climate change.

- Dangerous drones -

"One of the most infuriating things is that many social media people have been flying drones illegally over the fires" despite flight restrictions.

"You cannot fly a drone during a fire because it endangers firefighters," Edelson said.

Last week a drone hit and damaged a water bomber, with the FBI trying to track down the owner.

Media outlets like AFP have to rent a helicopter and stick to authorised flyover zones -- even if that means giving up filming certain disaster areas, Edelson and Clarenne said.

Even so, Edelson's understanding of the way firefighters work meant that last week he was invited to go into the heart of a blaze for the first time with them at a burning middle school in Altadena.

First Edelson thought the firefighter was joking.

"A door was completely outlined in a bright orange glow. So you know there's fire behind it. He was like check it out. And he opens the door and it is just like the craziest scene -- it was like the inside of a pizza oven. I don't know how else to describe it."

However, the photographer did not feel particularly in danger, insisting that covering forest fires is more dangerous as there is often only one road to get out, while there are multiple possible escape routes in urban areas.

- 'Everything's got more extreme' -

The fires have, however, inflicted massive trauma and suffering on the people of Los Angeles. Which makes them even more difficult to cover, said Clarenne, whose own wife and daughter had to be briefly evacuated from their home.

Since journalists are allowed into evacuation zones, residents ask them to check on their homes for them.

"Sometimes it's good news, but other times it's tough because you have to send photos and videos of homes that have been reduced to ashes," he added.

You have to respect the pain people are feeling, insisted Edelson.

"I'm not going to force myself into a situation where people are uncomfortable" even if "the most emotional photos are the ones that are the most impactful."

"I'll usually say, 'Is it OK that I'm here. I'm really sorry you're going through this.' And once they give me an OK, then I feel comfortable to just do my thing."

One thing is clear for both Edelson and Clarenne -- the disaster has done away with all the old certainties about covering California fires.

"Everything's gotten more extreme and the timelines just keep breaking the rules," said Edelson, who has won awards for his climate reporting. "This is extremely rare for January -- typically, fire season starts around July and it usually goes until October."

"The fact is," echoed Clarenne, "that you can have fires now at any time, and they are more intense."

Interviews by Catherine Triomphe and Michaela Cancela-Kieffer. Edited in Paris by Catherine Triomphe and Fiachra Gibbons

W.Thompson--SFF